Adapter for valve and manifold assembly

ABSTRACT

An adapter for disposing between a replacement valve and a manifold to provide an improved valve.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention provides an adapter for mounting between a valve cartridge and an existing water manifold, typically an older and existing manifold. A prior valve is typically replaced with a later type valve adapted to effect opening and closing of the valve with a partial turn of a knob or the like. A typical application for the invention is the replacement of a shower valve having operating valve handles and a compression seal. Over a substantial period of service, such prior art arrangements develop compressed seals, loose packing, etc. with resultant valve leakage. Replacement parts are often not available for components of old valve and mounting parts.

[0002] The adapter of the invention is threadedly mounted in an opening in a manifold, and a cartridge valve with an operating knob is threadedly secured in the adapter. An externally threaded portion of the adapter has a passage communicating with the manifold. The adapter has a sealing portion having a passage communicating with the manifold, and has a resilient seal for sealing engagement with a seat on the water manifold. The adapter is typically utilized with a valve cartridge device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003]FIG. 1 is an elevational view, partially in section, of a prior art valve device connected with a manifold;

[0004]FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an adapter according to the present invention mounted on a conventional water manifold;

[0005]FIG. 2A is an elevational view of valve elements utilized with the invention;

[0006]FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the adapter of FIG. 2;

[0007]FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a modified form of the invention mounted on a conventional water manifold; and

[0008]FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the adapter shown in FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Referring to the drawings, a prior art conventional valve and manifold assembly 2 includes a manifold 15 wherein a valve assembly 4 is threadedly mounted in a threaded opening 5 in the manifold, as shown. A resilient seal 6 when urged against seat 21 in the manifold, closes the valve and prevents flow to the manifold interior past the seat, and opening of the valve, as by several rotations of the knob shown, opens the valve to permit flow by the directional arrows. Several o rotations of the knob are required to effect proper opening or closing of the valve.

[0010] Referring to the drawings, a preferred form of adapter 10 according to the invention is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 as comprising an enlarged body portion 12 of hexagonal configuration for engagement with a wrench for rotation, a threaded portion 14 integral with the body portion and through which extend a plurality of small passages 16 parallel to a longitudinal axis of the adapter. A sealing portion 18 is integral with threaded portion 14 and body portion 12. Mounted therein is an annular resilient seal 20 for sealing engagement with an annular shoulder or seat 21 in a conventional water supply manifold member 15, as shown. Threaded portion 14 of the adapter is threadedly secured in a threaded opening in a conventional water supply manifold 15 (FIG. 2). A seal 22 has an enlarged annular portion 25 and a reduced tubular portion 24 adapted to fit within a tubular passage 26 in the adapter, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0011] An assembly comprising the knob 36 and a valve cartridge 34 is threadedly mounted in a threaded end opening 32 of the adapter (FIG. 2). Referring to FIGS. 2 and 2A, the valve mechanism comprises a valve element 35 mounted at the end of a shaft 33 rotatable by knob 36. A second valve element 37 is fixedly mounted in the cartridge. Each of the valve elements 35, 37 is of circular configuration and defines quarter-circle portions 41, 43 with quarter-circle open spaces therebetween. When valve element 35 is rotated to the position wherein the solid quarter-circle portions of the two valve elements are in registration, the valve is open, and when the valve element 35 is rotated to a position wherein the quarter-circle portions of the valve elements are out of registration, the valve is closed, as will be understood from the geometry of the parts. Opening or closure of the valve is thus effected with only a one-quarter revolution of knob 36.

[0012] Such quarter-turn valve cartridges are available from various manufacturers, and were not originated by Applicants. Such quarter-turn valves had not been developed and were not available until fairly recently, and many existing manifolds and valves were manufactured and installed before such valves were available.

[0013] With the valve 34 closed, water is blocked from passing in the direction indicated by the arrows and is not passed into or through the valve 34. With the knob 36 rotated to open the valve, water from the manifold 15 flows as shown by the directional arrows in FIG. 2. Thus, it passes inwardly past seal 20 at seat 21, thence into the valve 34, thence through the open valve and via the path indicated, and thence through the plural openings 16 in threaded portion 14, and exits at the passage or opening 38 defined between adapter seal portion 18 and an adjacent portion of manifold 15. The water then passes through the manifold (the path therein not shown), and typically to an output tap on the manifold for use.

[0014]FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a second embodiment 50 of the adapter of the invention wherein, instead of a threaded portion being integral with a body 51, a sealing member 52 has threaded portion 54 and a reduced end portion 56 having 5 thereon an annular seal 58 in a groove. The threaded portion 54 is received in a threaded bore 60 in the body member 51.

[0015] The embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5 is otherwise similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3, and with the valve open, water flow takes a similar path and exits at an opening 62 to the manifold 15.

[0016] The adapter of FIGS. 4 and 5 is adapted to compensate for or to accommodate variations in the dimensions of components for manufacturing tolerances, thus to provide accurate axial 15 longitudinal positioning of the adapter cartridge relative to the water manifold. By selective rotation of body member 51, the desired selected positioning of the valve cartridge relative to the annular shoulder or seat 21 of the manifold, is effected.

[0017] The adapter of the invention is relatively quickly and easily installed on an existing manifold. Generally, disassembly of existing plumbing hardware is not necessary nor is removal of any wall portion. The replacement of an old 5 valve arrangement with a relatively new cartridge valve, with the adapter according to the present invention, can be accomplished in about fifteen minutes. The prior valve assembly is removed by threaded disengagement, and the adapter of the invention is threadedly mounted in place in the existing old manifold. A typical installation would be in a conventional shower installation, older installations including a valve handle cooperating with a compression seal.

[0018] The quarter-turn valve operation utilized with the invention contrasts with older valve installations which typically require multiple turns of a handle or knob to effect opening or closure. Even with considerable wear, the quarter-turn cartridge valve utilized with the invention maintains essentially the same knob positions of rotation for both the open and closing positions of the valve. In contrast, older types of valves, with wear over a period of time, undesirably progressively change the rotational positions of a knob or handle for open and closed valve positions.

[0019] It will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made from the preferred embodiments discussed above without departing from the scope of the present invention, which is established by the following claims and equivalents thereof. 

The inventors claim:
 1. An adapter for installation between a valve device and a manifold, comprising: a body having a passage therethrough with aninternally threaded portion, an externally threaded adapter portion to threadedly engage an internally threaded inlet opening of said manifold, said externally threaded portion having a passage communicating with the body passage, and said threaded portion defining a plurality of small passages for flow of water from said valve device, a sealing portion extending from said externally threaded portion and defining a passage communicating with said body passage, a resilient seal disposed on the sealing portion and adapted to sealingly engage a seat on the water manifold, and means for sealing the valve device relative to the adapter to prevent leakage between input flow to the valve device and output flow from the valve device.
 2. An adapter according to claim 1, wherein said valve device is a cartridge valve having a component operable by a manual knob rotatably mounted relative to the adapter body.
 3. An adapter according to claim 1, wherein said valve device is adapted for actuation between a fully open and a fully closed position by a quarter-turn of a knob.
 4. An adapter according to claim 2, wherein said valve device is adapted for actuation between a fully open and a fully closed position by a quarter-turn of a knob.
 5. An adapter according to claim 1, wherein said resilient seal is annular.
 6. An adapter according to claim 1, and further comprising: a second seal comprising an enlarged generally flat annular seal portion adapted to engage the valve device and a reduced tubular portion adapted to sealingly engage in said passage in the adapter sealing portion.
 7. An adapter according to claim 3, and further comprising: a second seal comprising an enlarged generally flat annular seal portion adapted to engage the valve device and a reduced tubular portion adapted to sealingly engage in said passage in the adapter sealing portion.
 8. An adapter for installation between a valve device and a manifold, comprising: a body having a passage therethrough with an internally threaded portion, an externally threaded adapter portion to threadedly engage an internally threaded inlet opening of said manifold, said externally threaded portion having a passage communicating with the body passage, and said threaded portion defining a plurality of small passages for flow of water from said valve device, said sealing portion comprises a separate member having a threaded portion for threaded engagement in an internal threaded opening of the body portion, and being adapted to engage an annular seat of said manifold to prevent flow, a resilient seal disposed on the sealing portion and adapted to sealingly engage a seat on the water manifold, and means for sealing the valve device relative to the adapter to prevent leakage between input flow to the valve device and output flow from the valve device.
 9. An adapter according to claim 8, wherein said valve device is a cartridge valve having a component operable by a manual knob rotatably mounted relative to the adapter body.
 10. An adapter according to claim 8, wherein said valve device is adapted for actuation between a fully open and a fully closed position by a quarter-turn of a knob.
 11. An adapter according to claim 9, wherein said valve device is adapted for actuation between a fully open and a fully closed position by a quarter-turn of a knob.
 12. An adapter according to claim 8, wherein said resilient seal is annular.
 13. An adapter according to claim 8, and further comprising: an annular resilient seal in an annular groove in an end portion of said externally threaded portion of the seal portion of the adapter, and said tubular portion of said annular seal engages an inner wall of the internally threaded portion of the body.
 14. An adapter according to claim 9, and further comprising: an annular resilient seal in an annular groove in an end portion of said externally threaded portion of the seal portion of the adapter, and said tubular portion of said annular seal engages an inner wall of the internally threaded portion of the body.
 15. An adapter according to claim 10, and further comprising: an annular resilient seal in an annular groove in an end portion of said externally threaded portion of the seal portion of the adapter, and said tubular portion of said annular seal engages an inner wall of the internally threaded portion of the body.
 16. An adapter according to claim 3, wherein: said valve device comprises a first valve element mounted on a shaft rotatable by said knob, and a second valve element fixedly mounted in the valve cartridge, and each of said valve elements is of generally circular configuration and defines oppositely disposed quarter-circular sections separated by open quarter-circular sections, whereby with said valve elements oriented with their quarter-circular sections in registration, flow through the o valve elements and occur, and with the quarter-circular sections out of registration, flow is prevented through the valve.
 17. An adapter according to claim 4, wherein: said valve device comprises a first valve element mounted on a shaft rotatable by said knob, and a second valve element fixedly mounted in the valve cartridge, and each of said valve elements is of generally circular configuration and defines oppositely disposed quarter-circular sections separated by open quarter-circular sections, whereby with said valve elements oriented with their quarter-circular sections in registration, flow through the valve elements and occur, and with the quarter-circular sections out of registration, flow is prevented through the valve.
 18. An adapter according to claim 10, wherein: said valve device comprises a first valve element mounted on a shaft rotatable by said knob, and a second valve element fixedly mounted in the valve cartridge, and each of said valve elements is of generally circular configuration and defines oppositely disposed quarter-circular sections separated by open quarter-circular sections, whereby with said valve elements oriented with their quarter-circular sections in registration, flow through the valve elements and occur, and with the quarter-circular sections out of registration, flow is prevented through the valve.
 19. An adapter according to claim 11, wherein: said valve device comprises a first valve element mounted on a shaft rotatable by said knob, and a second valve element fixedly mounted in the valve cartridge, and each of said valve elements is of generally circular configuration and defines oppositely disposed quarter-circular sections separated by open quarter-circular sections, whereby with said valve elements oriented with their quarter-circular sections in registration, flow through the valve elements and occur, and with the quarter-circular sections out of registration, flow is prevented through the valve. 